"And that's why I'm batting for the workers and the jobs. I'm very sorry for the situation they're in and I'm sorry we can't give them some certainty."

Mr O'Dowd said he would make his concerns clear to Environment Minister Greg Hunt and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane today.

MP urges Labor to put fair offer on table

South Australian Federal Liberal MP Rowan Ramsey said the renewable energy sector and emissions-intensive industries were important in his electorate.

But he did not encourage Mr Hunt or Mr Macfarlane to back down.

"This isn't an Asian market bartering system where you know, you make an offer, I make an offer, whatever," he said.

"These figures are actually based on good facts.

"So while I welcome the move by the Clean Energy Council that they've engaged, the minister has already moved a long way."

Mr Ramsay urged the Labor Party to put a fair offer on the table.

"I need a resolution just like Ken does. But it's not a resolution at any price and we have arrived at this position in a considered way," he said.

"The minister has given a considerable amount of ground and I think the offer when you stack it up, virtually leaves the overall renewable energy target at what it was set under the previous government."

Both the Government and the Opposition agreed to exempt the energy-intensive aluminium industry from the scheme.

But Mr O'Dowd said the concession would not go ahead unless a deal was done.

"I think what our industry needs is certainty," he said.

"We need to know what it is, what it's going to be. It's too much uncertainty, they need to know now.